Austin Area Abode - Hanging Light Fixture / Retirement Photography Plans

This series was captured with the Nikon D300s, called the Big Cahoona in posts from those days, the only DSLR I owned back in 2016.  Not too bad, but still no comparison to what I use now...the Nikon D850, affectionately called the Bigger Cahoona.

Speaking of that, I'm nearing retirement and people ask about what plans are with all the time that'll be on my hands.  Invariably the first thing listed is to take my photography to the next level, which means really learning how to handle the Bigger Cahoona to get the most out of that awesome rig.  Might join a club (though I'm not a joiner by nature), or even take some classes...who knows.  Either way, hopefully more time in the field capturing the awesome beauty and interest on offer, then the delightful hours needed to touch up keepers.

Austin Area Abode - Allan Playing Pool

This is my brother playing pool in said upstairs recreation room.  He's a great guy, and just retired as a doctor.  Very, very interesting life.  Used to pick on me when we were kids, though, and the only way I could get away was to climb high up into one of our live oak trees in the front yard.  Occasionally he'd follow me up but it was futile...I wasn't afraid of heights and he had (and still has) acrophobia, so I'd just leap into the air over to another branch.

Austin Area Abode - Upstairs Balcony

Going inside now...this is a view looking out from an upstairs recreation room.

Austin Area Abode - Fall Foliage

A couple more outside of the surrounding foliage.  This was in December (2016) and this is Central Texas, so some species of deciduous trees still were hanging on to their leaves.

Austin Area Abode - Lamp

Visited someone a few years back who owns a pretty nice house in the Austin area.  Lots of pictures to capture, but only will be posting a few here so as not to reveal its location....

Flower Arrangement 2017 - Another Red-and-White Bookmark

 

Flower Arrangement 2017 - Pistil Bookmarks

Flower Arrangement 2017 - More Red-and-White

Another bookmark of same flower type; larger extent below:

Flower Arrangement 2017 - Red and White Rays

Someone brought flowers to the house one day in 2017, so I went to work capturing it from not-so-common angles and perspectives, of which this is my favorite.  Sliver for bookmark below:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Elephant Art

...and this will conclude Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two.  Very productive, evidently, as there were 160 pics posted in all between the series published in 2018 and the one concluding just now.

Next we'll look at a few flowers, mostly red.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Thoughtful Simian

 

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Cute Juvenile Monkey

Another juvenile monkey from this visit was posted here, but this one appears to be about the same age.  The background's way too busy so might do something about that one day...

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Juvenile Monkey With Palm Leaves

This was another individual in the same exhibit, a juvenile.  Five years ago, when the original series was published, I debated between this one and the one that was ultimately published.  Well, suppose now is the time for the number-two choice.  Not bad, as I like to take pictures of things through things.

Has it really been five years??  My how time flies, and it's true that our presence here is but a mist which fades and disappears quickly, as stated definitively in James 4:14...and Psalm 144:4, and Psalm 102:11, and Psalm 39:4, and 1 Peter 1:24.

But I'm sure not one to lament the passing of time and the life I've been given, which has featured abundant blessings:  many and varied adventures; a remarkable and upright wife that fits easily into the description of Proverbs 31; two equally remarkable grown and successful children; good friends along the way; a stable church home; and more...

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Sad Monkey #2

 

As monkeys go this guy was remarkably still, so I just stayed put and was able to snap away as he sat there and looked around.  Again I had to brighten the eyes, which again reflected a sad mood.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Sad Monkey #1

Now time for some of the old go-to favorites, the monkeys.  Had to lighten the darker features on this chap's face, revealing a rather sad visage.  No telling what was really going on, but his habitat was spacious and provided a multitude of options for distractions and entertainment, which made me think he should have been happier.

Made a bookmark out of the profile, which reminded me of this promotional card created with another pic from the same visit:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Bird-on-a-Swing with Bookmark

A pic of this little fellow was posted when the original series was published, but I'm glad to have re-discovered this shot; the over-arching twig sort of frames the bird, making it look as though it's perched on a swing.  Additionally, a sliver of same makes a pretty good bookmark:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Bird Friends

This one was marginal, but fiddling enough with the Shadows and Highlights adjustment in Photoshop barely squeezed it into the blogworthy category...

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Fountain at 1/6 Sec Shutter Speed

This is the same composition after manually changing the shutter speed to one-sixth of a second.  Cropped version below, revealing just how much such a slight adjustment can make on a moving body of water:

...and speaking of moving bodies of water, waterfalls are another perfect subject for experimenting with shutter speeds per this post from April, 2018.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Fountain at 1/10 Sec Shutter Speed

Occasionally I'll take some time to experiment with the effects of shutter speed change, and fountains are the perfect place to do it.  Using the radiulna tripod, this shot was taken while holding the beefy D850 as still as possible with the shutter speed set at one-tenth of a second.

Cropped composition below to get a closer look at just the fountain:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Castle Peek-a-Boo Shot

A companion picture to this one was published here, in the first series of pics posted from this excursion.  I have since taken to calling this type of pics "peek-a-boo" shots.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Glowing Edges Bookmark

Cropped a sliver of this one for a bookmark:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Red Flower / Photographic Bucket List

Potential for some lettering here at the top.

The variety of flora and fauna on this planet is amazing.  No matter what a person may dream up - whether beautiful or horrific - it won't top what nature's provided already.  All you have to do is look closely enough - or far enough away - at the right time and in the right places and it'll be there.

Herein lies the job of a photographer, to capture these subjects as well as moments in the lives of these subjects.  Quite the pursuit, if one is to take it seriously.  And regardless of the subject, great bodies of work can be accomplished and shared with the world.  For example, in a frame shop one time here in Houston the lady proprietor had a bin full of amazing photos of staircases.  There was a guy that liked staircases, particularly the winding kind, so he scoured the region and accumulated an incredible series of photographs.  Staircases indoors captured as abstracts.  Staircases outdoors with beautiful sunsets shining through.  Old staircases that evoked memories of days gone by.  New staircases that pointed to the future.  You name it.  These pictures were stacked in a bin and for sale at reasonable prices.  When I asked the lady if this guy was still out there doing his thing, she said that No, he got tired of it and just wanted to liquidate, which was the reason they were in this bin for sale.  Being an enthusiastic beginner wannabe, I was surprised that anyone might actually get tired of creating this amazing work.

Ruminating on all of this brings to mind a couple of "bucket list" items dreamed up at the beginning of my photography "career", if one can call it that:  1) I've always wanted to travel the state (Texas), stop in little out-of-the-way towns, and spend a few weeks there capturing the life, history, culture - and perhaps decay - of the places, along with a selection of their citizenry;  and 2) thought it would be interesting to go into public places to capture a particular emotion as the day's self-imposed assignment.  For example, one day go out and capture joy, sadness, or fear, then pick something else another day.  I'm approaching retirement age, so who knows...

Same pic in its larger extent below:

 

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Suckling Giraffe / The Giraffe House

To see this and to look at a mature adult standing tall at eighteen feet, it's incredible to know that these guys have the same number of neck vertebrae (seven) that most other mammals do, from the shrew to us humans.

And they are so interesting.  From their patterns, to the fact that they don't make sounds, to their goofy looking heads, to their seemingly docile nature...these are hugely interesting creatures.  And I can't walk by the giraffe exhibit without remembering the time, when I was five or six years old, that my two older brothers and I sneaked into the tall green wooden structure that houses them.  We closed the door behind us and there we were, all by ourselves and these giant animals, the only thing between us and them being a barrier with big thick bars.  I got plenty nervous, and they obviously did too, as we made a quick exit upon realizing that getting too close was a bit scary.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Rhinoceri

While satisfied that the composition was OK in this photo, decided that it was a little dull and flat before doing any post-capture work.  Thus, in Photoshop I cranked up the color 40%, the result of which is posted above.  Also decided that it might make a decent black-and-white picture, so fiddled some more with it and came up with the sepia and b&w versions below:

Many believe that sepia is black and white, but the comparison above tells a slightly different story.

While I was at it, looked up another pick of these guys that was posted from another visit to the Houston Zoo.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Chimpanzee Bookmark

A post of the chimp in the foreground has already been published here, framed a little differently by the logs.  Sliver for bookmark below, in which the branch hanging down was cloned away:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Gorilla Bookmark

Yes, time for some animals.

All simians are fascinating, but chimps, bonobos and gorillas take this animal thing to the next level.  They are so human-like...obviously closely related to us, yet so primitive and wild that they must be kept under strict control or they'll go, well, wild.  Look into the eyes and you might detect a soul in there.

And, as evident in this picture, they are clearly subject to heartbreak and depression just as we humans are.  Most people who've traveled along Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin know about the Snake Farm, which at one time had a gorilla that took care of his boredom with the only tools he had at hand (literally); check out his method here.

This fellow looks fairly content, though, as he has plenty of room to roam around, observing us humans with probably just as much curiosity as we have of him:

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Pink Flower Bookmark

Captured this species also at the Houston Arboretum, as featured in this post from 2021.

Houston Zoo 2017, Round Two - Another Building Peek-a-Boo